Breaking Bad fans know that Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, was secretly the head of a massive drug ring (until Walter White, aka Heisenberg, took over, of course), but he was publicly known as the owner of a popular fast food joint called Los Pollos Hermanos. And the teaser plays on this, serving simply as a 30-second fake ad spot for the joint.
In it, we see how the food is prepared with “love and care,” and delivered with a smile by the bright-eyed employees. Near the end, Fring comes on camera as the happy-go-lucky owner, encouraging viewers to check out the new curly fries. If you don’t like them, he assures, “they’re on me.” If patrons only knew that he was capable of cooking up far more than just greasy chicken and fries. The ad is reminiscent of the “Better Call Saul” cheesy legal ads the show has featured in past seasons.
Keen-eyed fans first realized in April that Fring would be returning, when they noticed that the first letter of every title from the 10 episodes in season 2 were an anagram for “Fring’s Back.” When season two ended (spoiler alert), a mysterious someone had left a note on Mike’s (Johnathan Banks’) windshield, suggesting he refrain from proceeding with his planned attempt to kill drug lord Hector (Mark Margolis). Some have suspected that it was Fring who penned the warning.
Esposito will join other actors who have crossed over from Breaking Bad to Better Call Saul, including Bob Odenkirk as Saul himself (aka Jimmy McGill), Banks, Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca, Michael Mando as Nacho, Jim Beaver as Lawson, and Daniel and Luis Moncada as those fearless and frightening “Cousins.”
No definitive premiere date has been set for the third season of Better Call Saul this year, but since both prior seasons began in February, chances are we’ll see Fring rear his bright, yellow uniformed shirt and terrifyingly calm demeanor very, very soon.
